Cobie Smulders joins 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'

Credit: ABC/Justin Lubin/Entertainment Weekly

From the small screen to the big screen and right back to the small, it's been a long journey for Cobie Smulders.

The How I Met Your Mother star went from the CBS sitcom directly to 2012's biggest blockbuster, playing S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in The Avengers. With Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the way, and How I Met Your Mother coming to an end this season, the question among many fans was whether the actress would be joining the hotly-anticipated ABC series. And now, creator Joss Whedon has confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that, yes, Smulders will be reprising her role for the action drama.

However, it won't be as a series regular. Smulders will be featured in the series premiere, which will center on Clark Gregg's Agent Phil Coulson.

“I wanted very much to have Cobie in the pilot because as much as anyone else, she IS S.H.I.E.L.D,” Joss Whedon told Entertainment Weekly. “She’s cool and commanding, and has the dry humor that plays so well with Clark’s. Also, if she’s in it I get to hang out with Cobie.”

The role is expected to be recurring, although negotiating regular appearances looks to be a bit tricky at the moment, given Smulders's contract to rival network CBS. But with How I Met Your Mother ending this season, some are speculating that Smulders will join the S.H.I.E.L.D. team full time -- provided the series is renewed for a second season. If the show lives up to the hype, a renewal is as good as given.